– Charles Leclerc has taken responsibility for the incident with Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton in Turn 2 at Monza, but at the same time criticized the media for making internal team disputes seem bigger than they are compared to other teams.
Read more Why even engineers respect the new steep curve of the Madrings
It was tight between the two Ferrari drivers at the start of the Formula 1 race. Already in Turn 1, Leclerc left little room for Hamilton on the inside, and in Turn 2 the Englishman wanted to drive on the outside line but was slightly pushed into the gravel by Leclerc because he ran out of space, causing Hamilton to lose several positions.
“It is absolutely clear that we never want to see a car from the same team in the gravel,” says Leclerc, admitting a mistake: “I am fully aware that I went too far in Turn 2, and I told Lewis exactly that,” said the Monegasque. “I think it is completely clear what we should and shouldn’t do in the future. But I don’t want to go into more detail about our conversation.”
The Ferrari driver emphasizes that the incident “definitely does not strain” the good relationship between him and Hamilton and that nothing will change in the future. “That is really the most important thing for me,” he says. “Of course, I know: We race for Ferrari – and if there is one race where something like this must not happen, it is Monza.”
Leclerc: Other teams are not talked about like this!
When asked about the hard maneuver earlier in Turn 1, Leclerc waves it off and prefers not to say anything. “Otherwise, it feels again – and I know that this is not your ill intention – as if we were just exchanging poison arrows with Lewis in the coverage, which is simply not the case,” he clarifies.
“The most important thing is that we have cleared up the situation. We talked, I explained my view to Lewis, he explained his to me. And I think, in hindsight – when you talk without the emotions of the race – we completely agree in our views.”
Leclerc believes that such things happen in motorsport and will happen again: “It is certainly not the last time, simply because such things occur in racing – especially when you start so close to each other so often,” he says. “But it is definitely a situation we do not want to find ourselves in again. That is just as clear to Lewis as it is to me.”
Photo gallery: The 15 most dramatic team duels for the title
At the same time, the Monegasque thinks that such a topic is given much more weight at Ferrari than at other teams. There were also internal frictions at other racing teams like Mercedes and McLaren in Monza, but according to him, Ferrari made the headlines. “In the end, only Lewis and I are talked about,” he says. “I don’t think that’s quite fair.”
“Of course, I don’t want to downplay the course of events. As I said: It is unacceptable if Lewis ends up in the gravel. But in fact, the whole thing is elevated on a much bigger pedestal with us compared to the other two teams,” he laments.
“I didn’t follow the whole race, but there were duels at the front with two other teams as well, and there wasn’t nearly as much noise around them. When you race for Ferrari, something like this simply causes much bigger waves – especially in Monza. But as I said, that’s not meant to trivialize anything, and something like this simply must not happen again.”
Read more Nico Hülkenberg explains Audi form: This is why it should go better again in Madrid
Positive exchange between Hamilton and Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton also does not want to overestimate the internal team frictions with Leclerc: “Just look at the history of the sport. This has happened before, it’s not a big deal,” he refers to other media-effective “rivalries” in big Formula 1 teams.
What is important to him is that there was an open exchange with Leclerc and team principal Frederic Vasseur on Monday after the race, which was said to be “very positive.” “Naturally, you sometimes have different opinions, but at the end of the day, we sit down together and find a way forward,” he says.
Historic comeback: How Antonelli humiliated Russell | Race F1 Monza 2026
“That exactly shows the positive development we have made in the last roughly 15 months. We have reached a point where internal communication works extremely well – and that applies equally to me and Charles.”
The seven-time world champion also finds it “great” that no one avoided the conversation. “We sat down face to face – just him and me – and spoke frankly. We were both completely open and honest and have put the issue behind us. We can leave it behind us,” he emphasizes.
For him, this especially shows Leclerc’s maturity and the healthy relationship both maintain at the Scuderia. “Of course, there will be frustrations and I’m sure it will get tight more often because we are extremely close in speed. We both want to win just as much and both want to get the best out of the team. But I see it entirely positively.”
Still no real rules of engagement
On Sunday shortly after the race, Hamilton had criticized that there was “no we” and that certain rules of engagement were missing at Ferrari in wheel-to-wheel combat, which were even written down at Mercedes.
Photo gallery: Monza: Driver ratings by Marc Surer and the editorial team
That will not change for the time being, because there was no agreement on so-called “Rules of Engagement” in the talks with team principal Vasseur. But Hamilton will not push for it either: “At the moment, I’m just focusing on having a better race this weekend,” he says.
“I’m sure we will talk about how we can improve at some point, but we didn’t have much time now to switch to the next race. You can’t change something like that in two days.”
Read more Rieju Coaster 407: Spanish A2 cruiser comes with V2 and automatic
